Leaky Cauldron

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It was built by Daisy Dodderidge, the first landlady, in 1500. She said that it was, "to serve as a gateway between the non-wizarding world and Diagon Alley." It rented rooms, had a bar, several private parlour rooms, and a large dining room.

To Muggles, the pub appears to be a broken-down old shop front on Charing Cross Road. This, however, was not the case prior to the imposition of the Statute of Secrecy and, in fact, prior to this, Muggle visitors were neither turned away, nor made to feel unwelcome.[1] The rear of the pub, however, opens up onto a chilly courtyard and the entrance to Diagon Alley. To gain access, a witch or wizard has to tap the bricks in the wall in an anti-clockwise order, causing a doorway to Diagon Alley to form and then rearrange itself back into the original wall after the person(s) walk through.

Contents

History

1500s

The Leaky Cauldron was built in the early sixteenth century by Daisy Dodderidge; its true address is number one, Diagon Alley.[2] Prior to the imposition of the Statute of Secrecy, the pub was accessible to Muggles, who were made to feel welcome at the pub, but some of whom left before finishing their mead nonetheless because of the absurdity of the conversations around them.[2]

1692

With the imposition of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, Minister Ulick Gamp permitted the pub to continue its existence as a safe haven and refuge for members of the magical community.[2] Though insistent on numerous concealment spells and good behaviour from all who used the pub, Gamp was sympathetic to the need of wizards to let off steam during this difficult time, and further agreed to give the landlord permission to let people into Diagon Alley from his backyard, because the shops behind the Leaky Cauldron were now also in need of protection.[2] Out of gratitude, the landlord created a new brand of beer, Gamp's Old Gregarious, which tasted so disgusting that even with a one-hundred-Galleon incentive, nobody could finish a pint.[2]

1900s

One of the most difficult times for the Leaky Cauldron was the creation of Charing Cross Road, which, had it gone the way it was initially planned to, would have flattened the pub.[2] The Minister at that time, Faris Spavin, was certain that this was the end of the pub, and that it could not be saved.[2] By the time he finished his seven-hour speech declaring this, however, he received a note from his secretary revealing that wizards had rallied, and through the mass use of Memory Charms had altered the entire route of the new road, leaving the architects confused as to why there was a blank space on the design, and why said space did not appear to the naked eye.[2]

1993

In 1993, as well as stopping there for drinks, Harry Potter stayed at the inn for a time, having accidentally blown up his Aunt Marge. He also met Cornelius Fudge in a private room for the first time.

1996

While the Leaky Cauldron was a favourite hangout for the magical community, its patronage took a turn for the worse in the summer of 1996, during the beginning of the Second Wizarding War. With Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters moving in the open, many witches and wizards avoided public places as much as possible, including the Leaky Cauldron. When Harry Potter, Rubeus Hagrid, and the Weasley family passed through the Leaky Cauldron that summer on his way to Diagon Alley, they noticed that the bar was empty with the exception of Tom.

After 1998

Structure

"For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old barman, who was quite bald and looked like a gummy walnut"

Located at 1 Diagon Alley,[1] The Leaky Cauldron was nested between a Muggle bookshop and a record store. Inside the pub, it was dark and shabby, with a bar and a number of tables in the shadows of the corners. In stark contrast to the grubby downstairs of the pub, there were some unexpectedly pleasant rooms upstairs where passing wizards and witches could stay for the night. These rooms were reached by way of a handsome wooden staircase, and contained comfortable beds, highly polished oak furniture, a crackling fire which was always burning in the grate to welcome the visitor to their lodgings, and, in Harry's case, a talking mirror.

Bedroom in the Leaky Cauldron

Beneath the stairs leading to the second floor, was a second set of stairs leading to the basement. The latter come out on the right wall where two sitting areas containing red couch and chairs were nestled in each corner on this side. The front wall had a stage with red curtains in front of a lowered viewing area. The back wall was blank, but the left wall had another red sitting area, and a bar. However, the basement, it seems, had been locked off for no apparent reason.

Room 10

This was a room at the first-floor. In 1993, the day maid was about to clean the room when its owner roared at her and closed the door.[4]

Room 11

This was a room at the first-floor which had a bed in the middle, a fireplace, a talking mirror, and a window. In 1993 Harry Potter and his owl Hedwig stayed in the room after Harry ran away from Privet Drive and was picked up by the Knight Bus.[3]

Beverages

Behind the scenes

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as Hagrid and Harry approach the front door, the sign for the Leaky Cauldron clears from a blank, black cut-out to a stylised design with a cauldron in the background. In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, a different doorway, with a different sign is shown. It is never shown whether this is supposed to be an alternate doorway or a "new" main entrance. Also, Tom the landlord was recast for the third film. In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Leaky Cauldron is shown to be located between 48 Charing Cross Road (Quinto Bookshop) and 12 Great Newport Street (Ashley Associates Chartered Surveyors), London. In real life, there is no building in between 48 Charing Cross Road and 12 Great Newport Street, which can be seen in the following image, but possibly because in the real world it is "concealed". It is possible that as they were all three different door-ways, that the Leaky Cauldron had a door-way for every single part of London.